Episode 51: Discussing Simone Weil's Essay on Education

On this week’s episode of The Literary Life podcast, our hosts have a converation about Simone Weil’s essay “Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God“. Angelina Stanford opens this discussion talking about stories as a lens to see other perspectives, rather than our own. Thomas Banks gives some biographical information on Simone Weil. Cindy Rollins highlights the connections she made from this essay to Charlotte Mason and Stratford Caldecott, especially in regards to attention and remembrance.

They talk about the problems of being counter-cultural in education, pride versus humility as an end of education, and training of the will. Cindy and Angelina emphasize the importance of the work of education over “making the grade.” Thomas reads a quote from Weil on keeping periods of focused work brief, and Cindy expounds on how this concept was also very important to Charlotte Mason. Angelina talks about her own conviction in reading Weil’s words about learning from those subjects which do not come easily for us. The conversation wraps up with our hosts talking about waiting on God instead of trying to force results, in all areas of our lives. 

Until next time, check out our Upcoming Events page to view our summer schedule and see what we will be reading together next! Don’t forget to check out the summer courses and webinars that Angelina and Thomas have coming up over at HouseofHumaneLetters.com!

Commonplace Quotes:

When we think of a friend, we do not count that a lost thought, though the friend never knew of it.

John Donne

Oxford is, Lewis said, a “dangerous place for a book lover. Every second shop has something you want.” According to Warren Lewis, his brother soon learned to discipline such inclinations: “In his younger days he was something of a bibliophile, but in middle and later life very seldom bought a book if he could consult it in the Bodleian: long years of poverty, self-inflicted but grinding, had made this economical habit second nature to him—a fact that contributed, no doubt, to the extra-ordinarily retentive character of his memory.”

Clyde Kilby

Children are always seeking out new experiences, and they find them in stories when adults do not spoil these stories by superimposing concepts or rules over the narrative.

Vigen Guroian Peace

by Henry Vaughn

My Soul, there is a country 
Afar beyond the stars, 
Where stands a winged sentry 
All skillful in the wars; 
There, above noise and danger 
Sweet Peace sits, crown’d with smiles, 
And One born in a manger 
Commands the beauteous files. 
He is thy gracious friend 
And (O my Soul awake!) 
Did in pure love descend, 
To die here for thy sake. 
If thou canst get but thither, 
There grows the flow’r of peace, 
The rose that cannot wither, 
Thy fortress, and thy ease. 
Leave then thy foolish ranges, 
For none can thee secure, 
But One, who never changes, 
Thy God, thy life, thy cure.

Book List:

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C. S. Lewis: Images of His World by Douglas R. Gilbert and Clyde Kilby

Tending the Heart of Virtue by Vigen Guroian

Phantastes by George MacDonald

Beauty in the Word by Stratford Caldecott

Range by David Epstein

Love in the Void by Simone Weil

Trojan Women by Euripedes

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Connect with Us:

You can find Angelina and Thomas at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, on Instagram @angelinastanford, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ANGStanford/

Find Cindy at https://cindyrollins.net, on Instagram @cindyordoamoris and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cindyrollins.net/. Check out Cindy’s own Patreon page also!

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